Tuesday, September 22, 2009

In search of the perfect office

I have been searching for the perfect writing office--or work space--for decades. I've created work spaces in RV's, coffee shops, rented rooms, spare bedrooms, corporate cubicles, VW vans, sailboats, small sheds in the back yard, and remote cottages. I have never found the perfect office. But here are some of the things that worked.
- A North facing window, plenty of natural light and a way to control the light.
- Privacy.
- Quiet.
- Music.
- Long blocks of uninterrupted time.
- Anonymity. (Starbucks coffee shops are good for this.)
- Cleanliness.
- An absence of clutter. Nothing in the room except things related to the book I'm working on.
- Ability to control temperature.
- A blank 8x10 foot wall upon which I can paste post-it notes and index cards.
- A 2x3 foot white board.
- A coffee shop within 20 minutes walking distance.
- Temperate weather.
- High speed wireless.
- A walkable neighborhood, in which I don't need a car.
- Exercise built-in to the lifestyle. Yoga studio nearby, or failing that, interesting destinations to walk to, like a ferry, coffee shop, or bookstore...
- Self contained dwelling, like a small cruising sailboat, hotel room, cottage, or empty house.
- Parcel delivery to front door... like UPS, USPS, or FedEX.
- A small bookshelf (4 feet maximum.)
- A large flat surface to work on. A standard 2' x 5' table seems to work.
- A comfortable chair like a recliner or a decent futon couch.
- Task lighting.
- A dog.

Basically, it looks like I'm a hermit.

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